Twirl Pasta

Twirl Pasta is one of those establishments that we had managed to chance upon whilst going around Holland Village Market & Food Centre during a random visit passing through the food centre one day. For those whom have not visited the food centre after its most recent revamp, the food centre has recently seen an addition of four (4) new food stall lots in the area which was once dedicated to the market itself. Twirl Pasta is the newest of the three stalls that had since more into the said area of the food centre at the point of time of writing — itself taking up the corner-most unit that is closest to One Holland Village; its neighbour being a stall serving curry rice and braised meats. Whilst we were not initially aware about it, a search on the establishment on social media reveals that the chef at Twirl Pasta is actually mentored by the chef-owner behind Chef Choo Signature at Golden Mile Food Centre — a stall notable for their pasta and salads that is run by a chef formerly of Pete’s Place at the Grand Hyatt. Considering so, the menu comprises of mostly pasta dishes — each pasta typically comprises of some sort of meat / seafood, with patrons being able to pick their desired sauces for some of the meat / seafood options offered. Apart from the varieties of pasta that they offer, Twirl Pasta also offers a small selection of side dishes such as Cesar Salad (yes, spelt this way in the menu) and House-made Chicken Karaage to share across the table — just to name a few.

There were a couple of items that we were more in favour of in the menu than the Grilled Salmon + House-made Pesto Spaghetti, but we eventually found ourselves going for the tired considering how they were pretty much sold out of the items that we were more keen to try when we dropped by on a weekend evening for dinner service. The Grilled Salmon variant actually comes with two choices of sauces that one can go for — one being the Spaghetti Aglio Olio, and the other being the House-made Pesto Spaghetti that we had opted for. Despite being an relent that had only recently opened their doors, Twirl Pasta is a spot that seems to have a bit of a crowd visiting them; this also meant that waiting time for the food can go upwards to 40mins based on the time indicated on the paper that is stuck near the POS system; we were buzzed to collect our order from the stall after an estimated waiting time of 20mins. Twirl Pasta does not describe the elements that comes served with their pasta; that being said, or can be observed from our order that the Grilled Salmon + House-made Pesto Spaghetti does come with the grilled salmon and spaghetti that is tossed in their house-made pesto sauce; also comes accompanied with a sunny side-up and some florets of broccoli on the side. For those that are usually a little more intimidated by the more savoury / herb-y pesto sauce that some establishments serves up, the pesto sauce here seems to be a little creamier — in fact, the addition of parmesan cheese powder also adds a further savoury touch that makes it feel closer to a cream pasta instead. That being said, one can still detect a rather light hint of the herbs used in the pesto, while the garlic also helps to cut through the savouriness of the cream and cheese so that the dish does not get too overwhelming.

The pasta is done al-dente; its consistency being pretty impressive for a pasta dish that is being served at a hawker centre that could easily rival that of pasta dishes that are served at specialty cafes even. The grilled salmon comes fresh and with a nice, crisp skin — the flesh being flaky and smooth with the retention of its moisture; we also liked how the characteristic flavours of the fish were not overwhelmed with an onslaught of salt as well. The sunny side-up comes free from any undesirable stench of overused oil; also comes with a flowy molten egg yolk, while the stalks of broccoli provided a good balance with the rest of the entire plate with a soft crunch, providing a balanced and hearty feel. The price tag of the Grilled Salmon + House-made Pesto Spaghetti may be a little steep for hawker fare considering that it is listed at a price of $13; that being said, it is the priciest item of the lot to go for — the other pasta dishes disregarding the Grilled Salmon + Spaghetti Aglio Olio are priced between $8 to $9.50; still a little bit on the higher side, but the quality of which the pasta is being executed does seem to be well worth the price tag it commands for. With so much effort put into the pasta to ensure that the consistency turns out to be on point, it is probably best to exercise patience when it comes to the food at Twirl Pasta for the experience that they intend to serve to all their patrons!